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CLEVELAND — With Boston’s Big Three gutting Cleveland’s defense in the first half, the Cavaliers had to make a decision last night.

Keep playing Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce straight up or start helping out on them.

They chose the latter.

So Rajon Rondo chose to take the game over.

The best player in the series, Rondo had a stretch in which he scored 8 of Boston’s 11 points in the third quarter to signal the beginning of its 120-88 blowout win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Just tried to take what the defense gave me,’’ Rondo said. “Didn’t try to force anything. In the second half, I had those looks. Had those gaps. I took advantage of them.’’

Rondo finished with 16 points, all in the second half, and seven assists as the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is tomorrow night at TD Garden.

“That’s what you call a floor general,’’ Glen Davis said. “A guy that can dictate the game by just calling plays and putting guys in the right spots at the right time. That’s the makeup of a legend.’’

A sellout crowd of 20,562 at Quicken Loans Arena not only got a repeat viewing of Rondo being a difference maker, it saw Davis score 15 points off the bench.

Scoring 12 of those points in the fourth quarter, Davis had two 3-point plays in which he scored in the paint, drew a foul, and made the free throw.

For a half, the Cavaliers looked as if they had figured Rondo out.

After he posted a splendid triple-double in Game 4 with 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists, Rondo didn’t even score in the first half.

Rondo only took two shots from the field and had just three assists and one rebound.

“In the first half, they were doing a great job of [defending] the ball,’’ Rondo said. “I didn’t try to force anything. Those guys had it going.’’

“Those guys’’ were Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. They combined for 39 points in the opening half so Rondo didn’t need to do much as the Celtics led, 50-44, at the break.